Letter: I’d Rather See Animals in the Wild

I read Henry Homeyer’s article in the July 23 Valley News about his love of the circus. I am writing to let him know how saddened I am that he would glorify any circus and make the ridiculous claim that the animals are happy to be performing in them.

I, too, have seen elephants in the wild in Africa, and I cannot agree with him that I would rather see them performing in a circus than in the wild, where they belong. I am honestly at a loss for words when someone says he would rather see them perform under what, in reality, are cruel conditions. That makes no sense to me at all. If he is curious, I can provide him a fact sheet prepared by Born Free USA about the Carson & Barnes company, which is involved with the Kelly Miller Circus that Homeyer so enjoyed in Keene. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Kelly Miller leases animals from Carson & Barnes, its “sister circus.” The fact sheet provides a partial list of violations of the Animal Welfare Act by Carson & Barnes, including inadequate veterinary care for its animals.

I think it was irresponsible, at best, to write an article without having all of the facts and to mislead people into believing the circus is a good place for animals.

I love the circus. I love the sound of the band, the smell of elephants, the thrill of watching acrobats swirling on velvet ropes or swinging from trapezes. When I was a young man traveling in Europe on $5 a day, I splurged and bought a ticket to the Orfie Circorama in Parma, Italy. I didn’t know that Europeans take …